Presented at the Steering Committee for the Multilateral Middle East Peace Talks(Moscow - Jan. 31 to Feb. 1, 2000)

I would like to start by thanking the Government of
Russia for hosting this meeting of the Steering
Committee of the Multilateral Middle East Peace Talks.
The Palestinian delegation comes to this round of
Peace Talks hoping for real progress in the final
status negotiations in accordance with those
principles defined in the Madrid Peace Conference,
Oslo and Interim Agreements as well as the compliance
of involved parties with international law, namely UN
Resolutions 242 and 338.

Although an atmosphere of hope accompanied the
election of Prime Minister Barak, Palestinians have
not witnessed the expected progress. The Israeli
Government has again proven that it is reticent to
implement the steps outlined in the negotiated
agreements.

1. The implementation of the second
redeployment was slow and implemented without
consulting the Palestinian leadership. There
is also deep concern that Israeli by-pass roads and
Israeli settlements deprives Palestinians of their
land and prevents contiguity in the emerging
Palestinian State.

2. Strict Israeli limitations on the
release of Palestinian prisoners, especially those
from Jerusalem, has also caused a great deal of
dissent within the Palestinian public and has made
the release a source of unneeded tension instead of
reconciliation.

3. The opening of one of the first safe
passage was also late and in real terms has not
given free access between Gaza and the West Bank.

Moreover, despite the agreement of both Israel and the
PLO to desist from taking unilateral actions that
either preempt or prejudge the outcome of the
Permanent status negotiations, Israel has continued to
create facts on the ground to consolidate its control
of the occupied territory. These actions shake
the confidence and progress of the Peace Process and
undermine the environment necessary for productive
negotiations.

Most disturbingly, the current Israeli government
has approved the construction of 5,400 new living
units in illegal Israeli settlements. This pace of
settlement activity even surpasses that of the
previous Likud led Israeli government. Moreover, the
construction of the illegal "Har Homa"
settlement on Jabal Abu Ghneim has closed the ring of
settlement around Jerusalem and the illegal
settlements inside Palestinian neighborhoods such as
Ras al-Amud, Hebron and the Old City Jerusalem
continue to provoke hostility on a daily basis.

Israel has also continued to isolate and change the
topography of Jerusalem in defiance of its agreements
and the Fourth Geneva Convention. By denying
Palestinians secure residency rights, demolishing
Palestinian homes, and restricting Palestinian
residential building in Jerusalem, and continuing the
military closure around Jerusalem, Israel sabotages
Palestinian national rights to its future capital.
The Israeli military closure has also severely
inhibited Palestinians freedom of movement and
decimated the Palestinian economy.

In an effort to build confidence and progress
quickly in the Peace Process, Israel must immediately
stop settlement construction and the confiscation of
more Palestinian lands. They must also now carry
out the third redeployment without any delay in
addition to the release of all Palestinian political
prisoners including the Jerusalemites and other Arab
prisoners.

It is equally important that the international
community not endorse Israel's unilateral actions and
recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel before
arriving at a final solution. Any diplomatic
move to do recognize Jerusalem as the capital of
Israel will violate the international resolutions and
endanger the whole Peace Process.

If Israeli policies of settlement expansion
continue to erode the spirit of the Peace Process, the
path toward achieving a durable peace will be put in
jeopardy. How is it possible to talk in
good faith on the future arrangements and relations
between the Palestinian Independent State within the
borders of 4 June 1967 and the Israeli State while the
latter is proceeding in changing the geographic and
demographic face of Palestine.

Mr. President,

The Palestinian leadership and the Palestinian
people committed themselves strongly to the principles
of the Middle East Peace Process as defined in the
Madrid Conference and the Oslo and interim agreements.
We did so with the expectation that our bilateral
agreements as well as those rights outlined by the
United Nations would be respected.

It must be stressed that until Israel abides by its
obligations and commitments there will be no real
progress achieved on any track. Without real
progress in the bilateral track, being the core for
the peace process, any real accomplishment on the
multilateral tracks will never occur. For this
reason I ask that the members of the multilateral
talks use their influence to help monitor and enforce
the established agreements.

Regional co-operation is not an alternative choice
or simply a desirable goal; it is the necessary
outcome of a durable peace. If we cannot find a way to
forward, we will be forced to go back. Any
obstruction or marginalization of the bilateral
negotiations threatens stability in our region and
jeopardizes the whole process. It is high time
that all the parties actively work to achieve a just,
lasting and comprehensive peace in the region.

Also it is high time that Israel acknowledges the
principles consecrated in UN Resolution 194 and 110
subsequent UN resolutions, namely the right of
Palestinians to return to their homes and receive
restitution for their properties. By the same
token, Israel must acknowledge the right of the
Palestinian people to self-determination and to
control their land and natural resources as well as to
establish their independent sovereign state within the
framework of UN Resolution 242 and 338. Only
when this has been accomplished will Palestine and
Israel be in parity with each other and serve as a
catalyst for achieving genuine regional cooperation
and integration instead of being an impediment.

Historic conciliation requires a sense of historic
responsibility. If we want a durable peace and
regional cooperation, we cannot continue to defer and
evade. We must seriously address the central
issues, particularly the issue of Jerusalem and its
future as two capitals within an open city. For
this reason the Palestinian delegation requests that
the Steering Committee officially sanction the
establishment of a new working group to address the
issue of Jerusalem. We believe that the
involvement of the international community is an
essential catalyst to fostering a suitable environment
between the two parties for negotiating peace on the
issue of Jerusalem. With a view to regional
stability and economic cooperation, we see Jerusalem
as the future capital of the entire region.

Again, the envisioned future cooperation in the
region depends on Israel's compliance with UN
Resolutions, including a full withdrawal of Israeli
troops from the Golan Heights and South Lebanon.
As we enter the 21st century, let us hope that we will
find the courage to build the foundation of durable
regional peace with Jerusalem as the warm sun of a new
Middle East.